NOW WITH PICTURES!!
What does the future hold for Baltimore City? No one knows for sure. One way is to examine is to look at the past and present conditions, the other is to look at what's on the drawing board as far as new development. I will attempt to do both while at the same time throwing in my opinion. Sure, the Inner Harbor and its surrounding neighborhoods are nice, but they're aren't my focus. Check out old posts I have added pictures to them!

Twitter

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Although Patrick Turner's Westport Development is in lingo, it will
eventually happen. Turner might not be able to call all the shots but as
waterfront land becomes more and more of a rarity it WILL happen. That
being said, I feel obligated to turn your attention to the Neighborhood
of Westport. Westport is currently in a blighted state and has been that
way for quite some time. Residents have been waiting for Patrick
Turner's Development to commence so that they may benefit from the
redevelopment. My question to the Westport Neighborhood is; Why Wait?
Lets prep the Westport Neighborhood now.

Westport's Waterfront began as a heavy industrial zone
with its most famous uses being the BG&E Plant and the Lowry Glass
Factory. The Row Homes located in the Westport Neighborhood were built
as housing for the workers in the industrial waterfront. As the 20th
Century wore on the Neighborhood began to decline as factories in the
area began scaling back their workforce in favor of cheap overseas labor
and the advent of computers.

As the 20th century drew to a close the Westport
Waterfront was almost completely vacant. Not surprisingly, the Westport
Neighborhood was suffering from high unemployment, blight, and
population loss. The disinvestment continues to this day despite the
promise of waterfront redevelopment. I've always believed that in order
for new development to be truly successful, the existing Neighborhood
has to already be a draw for people. That's why it's crucial to make the
Westport Neighborhood just that; a draw.

First lets look at Annapolis Road, the Community's
Main St. Though mostly Residential, there are some commercial uses
spread throughout. Other Neighborhoods with defined Main Streets such as
this have applied for the City's Main Street Program which allows for
beautification grants to improve building facades as well as streetscape
enhancements. There are also banners that say; "Main Street Where
Baltimore Happens." I think this is a perfect for Annapolis Road in
Westport. That will up the excitement level and allow for the road and
its buildings to be improved.

Now how should we establish these streetscape
enhancements? Well first the roads in Westport are long over due for new
pavement. Next, the sidewalks are due for fresh cement as and erosion
issues caused by water leaks should be fixed. Traffic Lights, way
finding signs, A Community Gateway Signs, street lights, benches, and
trees will all be overhauled in favor of new fresh ones. This will show
potential home and business owners that the City is committed to the
Westport Neighborhood not just the waterfront.

Next, we should establish a small Commercial
District. I see that the largest concentration of Commercial Businesses
is located at Annapolis Road and Wenburn St. I think a plan to move
Commercial Business here to act as a Retail Hub would be beneficial.
Given that Wenburn St. begins as exit ramps from the BW Parkway, it acts
as a Gateway to Westport. It should also receive streetscape
enhancements across Annapolis Road to make it one of the visual
connecting points between the existing Westport Neighborhood and the new
Waterfront. This should be true for streets that parallel Wenburn St.
as a well but given Wenburn's status of "Retail Hub" it gets top
priority.

The backbone to prepping the Westport Neighborhood
is growth. Westport has experienced more than its fair share of
population loss and it has the boarded up row homes to prove it.
Something has to motivate people to invest in Westport other than the
promise of a redeveloped waterfront. The low housing prices are a start
but the high cost of rehabbing a house that's been vacant for as long it
has is a major drawback. But suppose that house you buy is at a cost of
$1? The dollar row house program has been a vocal part of gentrifying
almost every waterfront Community in the City, so why should Westport be
any different? There should stipulations to the $1 row house program
such as the owner must qualify for a loan that will cover the costs of a
full rehab, the owner must occupy the house, the owner can not buy and
rehab the house for flipping purposes.

One big goal of the Westport Neighborhood should be
(and probably is) would be to seamlessly integrate itself within the new
waterfront development. The fact that I have to distinguish between the
two as I write this post shows that this hasn't happened. A big
contributor to this is the obstructive Light Rail and CSX Tracks. I
think while in Westport (and other parts of the City as well but
Westporrt especially) the Light Rail tracks need to be tunneled. Right
now if the tracks aren't moved and the Waterfront is built, there will
be a right side of the tracks and the wrong side of the tracks. This
doesn't scream integration does it? In addition the Light Rail tracks,
the CSX tracks should also be tunneled between Waterview Avenue and
Manokin St. Unfortunately, the overhead power lines will have to stay
above ground.

Even as the promise for a redeveloped waterfront is
showing signs of movement, it's time to prep the Westport Neighborhood
and integrate it into one thriving Community.

Friday, August 30, 2013

When rehabbing or redeveloping old Neighborhoods in Baltimore, it's
important to take a look to see how energy efficient the homes were, and
how energy efficient they can be. With advances in all types of Green
Technology coupled with rising energy prices, home builders and buyers
alike have become more energy cautious. It's time to establish a
standard in which new homes and rehabbed homes can be built to. This
will save home owners money on energy and if the State allows it, a
reduction or exemption from the controversial Rain Tax. I give you the
Green Standard.

Lets start with my favorite Green Feature; The Green
Roof. With so many Baltimore Row Homes that have flat roofs, this makes
them perfect candidates for Green Roofs. A lot of Row Homes have rooftop
gardens which are great additions but do they reduce cooling bills?
Green Roofs do. That's not the best part either, they reduce storm water
runoff. Storm water runoff, when mixed with pavement and oils that leak
on to the road, through the sewer and pollute the bay. This is why the
Rain Tax was implemented. If the rain can be stopped at the rooftop and
water the garden instead, that will reduce the amount of tainted water
polluting the bay.

For the next Green device we remain on the roof for
all the important solar panels. What better way to save on your energy
bills and reduce your carbon footprint than harnessing the Sun's free
natural energy source? These days it's never been more affordable to
have Solar Panels installed. Coupled with a green roof your home's
energy bills will plummet.

Next we go underground to harness still more free
energy from Mother Earth. This time we will use the natural heat of the
underground. This temperature remains the same regardless of what time
of year it is and what the above ground temperature is. This can be
harnessed through "Geothermal Wells." These are usually fields a few
feet away from the house and there are coils that hook up to the HVAC
system. In Baltimore there are tons of under utilized alleyways that can
be converted into Geothermal Wells with grass covering them instead of
concrete. This reduction in concrete will help the City's Urban Heat
Island as will Green Roofs. The Urban Heat Island is when the
temperature in the City is higher than in greener areas because of the
lack of trees and excess of tar and concrete. If no cars park in these
converted alleyways, they can be used as Pocket Parks and Gardens.

Next we go inside the house to look at water
consumption. Let me blunt, we as a society waste too much water. It
isn't always our fault though, it's just the way that water based
appliances have been built up until recently. That's why New Home
Builders and Rehabbers alike should listen carefully. First there's the
obvious; Hot Water Heaters. Just look at the size of those things. To
heat water that massive tank must be filled with water. Sounds efficient
right? I didn't think so either. That's why new homes and rehabs should
be fitted with tankless water heaters. It heats the water being used
and that's it. No massive tank and no excess water.

When showering there's that time where you're
applying soap and shampoo and you're not standing where the water is.
Yet, the water is still running and you're wasting said water as well as
upping your water bill. New homes should be outfitted with a shut off
valve in each shower so that when you're applying soap and shampoo the
water isn't running thus saving water and money. When it's time to rinse
off, simply turn the water back on and feel good about the water and
money you have saved.

Last but not least we have the high efficiency
Washing Machine. I lived in a house that had one for a few months and
watching how little water it used was mesmerizing. The same holds true
with Dishwashers newer models are built to save on water and
electricity. New homes and rehabs that are outfitted with these energy
savers should be given a tax credit for saving a valuable natural
recourse.

Now lets imagine all of these energy saving measures
done on a grand scale. With all of the new and rehabbed housing coming
down the pipeline with all of them having these things the amount of
pollution, urban heat island, and will save vast amounts of natural
resources and tax payer money. We must truly hold Baltimore up to the
Green Standard.

Please note that post will have future links to it
because when redeveloping Neighborhoods I will reference the Green
Standard a lot in the future and this is what I mean by it.

Friday, August 23, 2013

It's hard to believe that in Baltimore, a City plagued with food deserts
that a food monsoon exits within the very City Limits of Baltimore.
It's true though and that food monsoon is located in none other than
North Baltimore. North Baltimore has always had suburban characteristics
to it with the exception of Hampden so it's not surprising that Grocers
would flock to that area verses say East Baltimore where (if you're
lucky) the blocks are filled with tightly packed high density row homes.

Now let me take this opportunity to tell you about what I
mean by Food Deserts and Food Monsoons. A Food Dessert is a part of the
City that is barren of quality Supermarkets. Examples of this may
include Wilkens Avenue, Park Heights, and Cherry Hill. In the middle are
what's called a Food Oasis where there are Supermarkets but not an over
abundance of them, this includes Fredrick Avenue, Canton, Inner Harbor
East, Federal Hill, and South Baltimore. Finally there's North Baltimore
which falls under the category of Food Monsoon where there's an over
abundance of Super Markets, with more to come.

So this begs the question; what Supermarkets are in
North Baltimore that earn it the title of "Food Oasis?" Well there's the
Target & Shoppers at Mondawmin (pictured above), the Whole Foods in Mount
Washington, the Giant in Hampden, the Safeway in Charles North, Eddies
of Charles Village, Eddies of Roland Park, the Belvedere Market, the
Giant in Waverly, and the Safeway in Lauraville. That's not including
Farmers Markets, Drug Stores, Convenience Stores, or Corner Stores.
North Baltimore despite pockets of low density, is quite walk-able which
allows for Residents to shop at a multitude of Supermarkets without
driving to them even if on a map of the City, it appears further away.
Despite the walk -ability of North Baltimore, the vast majority of
Residents have at least one vehicle at their disposal.

Now with a multitude of Supermarkets at the
disposal of North Baltimore Residents, it would be safe to say Grocers
would look elsewhere in the City given how stiff the competition is
North Baltimore right? Wrong! There are three proposed new Supermarkets
in North Baltimore. This begs the question; Can North Baltimore support
all these Supermarkets? And where are they slated to go?

First there's the obvious, the Rotunda. The Giant
leaving left a big hole especially for Residents of Roland Park Place
who find that the new Giant at Greenspring Tower Shopping Center is too
far for them. Whatever store "replaces" the Rotunda Giant won't actually
"replace" it by occupying the same 41 year old 33,000 square foot
space. As I'm sure you're aware, there have been plans to redevelop the
Rotunda for years now and this is where and when the replacement Grocer
comes in. Usually when redeveloping a Grocery anchored Shopping Center
bigger is better so it seems easy to assume that a larger Grocer would
replace it.

Well if you assume that you're wrong because the
developers of the Rotunda would like a 10,000 Square Foot Grocer. This
had made contenders for the coveted title of the Rotunda's nervous
because that's simply too small at least according to Graul's who is
neck and neck with MOMs and the Fresh Market to replace Giant post
redevelopment. Graul's, if given a lease would like 20,000 square feet.
The Fresh Market agrees that that's just too small. MOMs appears more at
ease with the idea of 10,000 square feet although having been to the
one in Jessup, I feel that it's larger than that.

Although a "Boutique Grocer" has been what Residents
have wanted for the Rotunda, it begs the question even at 10,000 square
feet; Aren't there already enough Boutique Grocers in the area? Already
there's the Mount Washington Whole Foods, Eddies of Roland Park and
Charles Village, and the Belvedere Market. How much of a hit would these
Grocers take? To be honest, the Rotunda's VERY small Supermarket which
ever it ends up being probably won't be a real threat to any of the
existing Grocers for the mere fact that it's just so small and that
North Baltimore is the most well to do area in the City, in fact if the
Grocer were to double to a whopping 20,000 Square Feet I wouldn't bat an
eye.

Meanwhile in Remington, there's a large
redevelopment project that has people on both sides of the isle up in
arms. The project, known as 25th St. Station is to be located at the
former Andersen Auto Group site after their move to the suburbs. They
sold their land to the developer but have since asked that the sale be
nullified. 25th St. Station was originally supposed to have a Lowes, Wal
Mart, Staples, Ana's Linens as well smaller tenants as well as
Residences making it a Mixed Use Project. Lowes and Wal Mart would be
multi level and built around a parking garage.

25th St. Station however is hanging on by a thread.
Lowes has pulled out of the project, no word on whether this has
effected Staples and Ana's Linens, attempts to lure another tenant in
place of Lowes have been unsuccessful, Wal Mart is committed to staying
on but its attempt to be a purchaser of the land with the developer has
sent the Sellers (Andersen Automotive Group) into a tailspin of law
suits and attempts to annul the sale of the land. Although I like the
concept of 25th St. Station I'm not too keen on having a Wal Mart suck
up all the business from Supermarkets throughout North Baltimore. Wal
Mart Super Centers go soar way past 100,000 Square Feet and carry
everything known to man. Unlike the Rotunda Grocer I think Wal Mart is a
huge threat to the area.

Last but not least there's Charles Village. I have
written about the ill fated Olmstead at Charles Village and how its
proposed $700,000 condos were hit by the economy and the site across St.
Paul St. from Eddie's remains vacant. What I haven't written about
(because I just found about it) is that the site is finally going to be
developed. It will either be Apartments, Condos, or Student Housing. I
seriously doubt that if it's Condos that they will cost $700,000.
Olmstead, surrounded by all the Retail along St. Paul and being less
than a block away needed no anchor. That being said neither should new
development. So why then, is this project slated to be anchored by none
other than a Grocery Store?

Luckily this new project is in its infancy and the
Retail aspect of it is subject to change. Eddie's, which does a widely
successful business is worried that another Supermarket will put them
out of business. Given Eddie's super star status in North Baltimore I
highly doubt that another Supermarket will put them out of business.
That being said, I don't think it's wise to add another one in Charles
Village. I think the new Supermarket doesn't stand a chance against
Eddie's. Eddie's may lose some business but nothing too drastic. I also
don't know how large the proposed space is for the new Grocer. Shoppers
at Eddie's when interviewed for The Baltimore Sun were in favor of a
Pharmacy going there stating that's a niche in the area they feel is
unfilled. Personally I could see a Pharmacy co-anchoring the St. Paul
St. Retail Strip with Eddie's in Charles Village. The two would
complement each other quite well.

In North Baltimore, the status of the Supermarket
scene is that of a Food Monsoon. If all these new Supermarkets do in
fact open the monsoon could flood the competition and turn the area into
a Food Desert. It will take some careful and diligent planning to keep
all stores open for business and successful.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Patrick Turner's Westport Development has stayed under my radar as of
late. One reason or perhaps the only reason is because the Westpoert
waterfront remains quiet. There are luxury no Apartment high rises, no
Office Buildings, no Retail, no 500 room Hotel, no nothing. By now in a perfect
world this wouldn't have been the case especially since the first
buildings were slated to open in 2008 but a series of unfortunate events
has put the future of this $1.4 Billion waterfront in limbo.

All of these unfortunate events can be traced back to one
thing; the Economic Downturn of 2008. It's as if Patrick Turner's
Westport was held together by a single pin and that single pin was moved
the whole project collapsed. But don't worry, just because there have
been some unfortunate events, the project can still be dusted off and
put back on track. I certainly hope this is the case.

In 2004 Patrick Turner began assembling land on the
Westport waterfront that has long since been abandoned industrial land.
His hopes were and still are to turn it and the Westport Neighborhood
into Baltimore's next hot spot in fact the company he formed to focus on
Westport is appropriately named "Inner Harbor West" an obvious play on
the now thriving Inner Harbor East. By the time Patrick Turner owned the
entire Waterfront he had spent $13 million.

In 2007 Patrick Turner presented his Master Plan for
the Westport Waterfront to the City and the Westport Community. The
plan had won the hearts and minds of both the City and the Westport
Community. Given the very large price tag of infrastructure for such a
massive undertaking, the City agreed to help pay the $160 million it
would cost. They were to do it by issuing bonds through a deal known as
"Tax Increment Financing" which the bond holders would pay back the City
over time through the property taxes generated by the development. The
only problem was, the builders who would build the properties that
generate said property tax had pulled out leaving the infrastructure
unpaid for essentially.

Turner had also taken out a $32 million loan as well
as a $15 million loan to get the ball rolling on the first phase of
development which was to include a 200 unit Apartment Building, 90,000
Square Feet of Office Space, 72 Town Homes, and another 220 units
Apartment Building. With news of the infrastructure deal crumbling, the
Builders and Lessees of these projects pulled out. They more than likely
would have done so due to the crumbling economy. With no financing for
infrastructure and no Builders willing to overlook and stay signed to
the project anyway, the whole waterfront and Patrick Turner himself were
in deep trouble.

The combined $47 million in loans Turner had taken
out were to be paid back on the contingency that he would get builders
and lessees for the land. Due to the series of unfortunate events,
Turner now had no financial backers aka builders/lessees. Patrick Turner
still had to pay back those though. Since Patrick Turner, or any of the
companies he was associated with, didn't have $47 million in cash (just
land that at the current time is useless) bankruptcy and foreclosure
became all too common words around the water cooler at Patrick Tuner's
Office as well as the media.

These days, despite the looming threats of the Banks
who lent him this money, Patrick Turner is still very optimistic that
this thing can get turned around and his plan to redevelop the Westport
waterfront will come to fruition. He now claims he has financial backers
who will help him buy back his $32 million loan from the Bank. Whether
these financial backers are actual builders looking to develop the land
or are just supplying Turner the cash he needs to stay afloat is
unknown. What is also unknown is whether the City will re-agree to issue
the $160 million in bonds to kick start the infrastructure needs. I
know they're fronting some serious cash to Harbor Point at the moment so
I'm not sure if they're willing to do so for Westport.

Given how good the idea is and how the Westport is a
gold mine of untapped waterfront City living and the plethora of
existing housing in the Neighborhood of Westport I'm confident that the
plan will come to fruition, whether Patrick Turner can keep control of
the goings on is yet to be seen. Hopefully the series of unfortunate
events will be overshadowed by an even larger series of fortunate
events.

Friday, August 16, 2013

State Center is one of the biggest redevelopment projects in the City of
Baltimore on the books. It promises to bring in true TOD and connect
the Light Rail and the Subway. It will replace old obsolete Office
Buildings that house State Offices, it will replace surface parking lots
with real development, and it will usher new high quality mixed used
development in an area of the City that desperately needs it. So why
hasn't this project gotten off the ground and gained momentum I mean
it's been close to ten years and not a single bot of building has
occurred. Well....

To be blunt, we're broke. The State of Maryland is acting
as developer and financier for this project that has a price tag of $1
Billion plus. That money doesn't include proposed tax breaks to lure
businesses to build there which will hinder the State's ability to make
that money back seeing as they will still own the land. It will also be
hard to fill up the Office Buildings other than those used by the State
because Downtown as a whole has a high office vacancy rate. The City
also might not be able to absorb the large amount of Apartments and
Condos proposed in the project. With large developments like Harbor
Point and the 1,000 Apartments and Condos proposed in Greektown, the
City already is experiencing a boom in new housing construction. In
addition, I haven't even gotten into the all the lawsuits this project
has been plagued with since day one, and the State isn't exactly winning
these suits either.

So does this mean that State Center is doomed? Well I
can't say for sure and I would be very unhappy if that were the case.
So with that being said, how do we revive it? As the title suggests, I'm
proposing taking the State out of State Center. What that means is
doing just that. One thing we know for sure is that the State is broke
and that the Office Buildings on site are obsolete. Another thing we
know is that the Office Building vacancy rate Downtown is high.

My solution would be for the State to wipe its hands
clean of the whole project. Given the high Office Vacancy Rate
Downtown, the State Offices can easily be absorbed by existing space.
That leaves the entire State Center sight empty right? Right. Now the
State can sell the land and to private developers who aren't financing
the project through our tax dollars. Granted there maybe subsidies
granted by the City and the State but the actual cash to build it will
be private money.

I would also suggest breaking up the site into
parcels. The site is so big right now that it would scare off developers
if were to be auctioned off as a whole. I'm sure developers would
gladly buy up small pieces of the site for future development. Now why
future development? Well, the market just isn't ready for big an influx
just yet, we're coming out of a recession and there are many mixed use
projects coming coming down the pipeline. If the State Offices were
moved throughout Downtown the demand for additional Office Space could
go up because the overall vacancy rate would go down. This course of
action I believe would help the market and make the State Center Project
take off quicker at least in the Office space realm. The finished
product will be almost identical to State Center with the State still in
it, the only difference would be the deletion of the State Offices.

Now, is State Center dead? Nope, just as long as way take the State out of it.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Pigtown has been in transition for decades now waiting and waiting to be
Baltimore's next up and coming Neighborhood. It seems for every victory
it achieves there are just as many defeats. As housing in gentrified
Neighborhoods becomes more and more scares, wanna be Harbor Dwellers
will look for a new Neighborhood. I would like very much for that new
Neighborhood to be Pigtown. Now all that needs to be done is to make it a
good sell.

Pigtown in the early 2000s began showing a few signs of
life, rehabbers had begun investing in vacant row homes and businesses
along Washington Boulevard, the Community's Main Street. I truly
believed Pigtown a this point was going to gentrify and be the next hip
Neighborhood thinking that more vacant homes and businesses would be
filled.

What happened was something I was not counting on.
DEVELOPERS took an interest in Pigtown and announced their to redevelop a
"Brownfields" site bordered by Scott St., McHenry St., Poppleton St.
and Clifford St. Their intention which is now coming to fruition, was
and is to build luxury garage town homes known as Camden Crossing. Now
wait a minute doesn't this sound a little pre mature? I mean Pigtown at
the time was just beginning to rebound after decades of blight and
disinvestment and now a big developer is sucking all the would be
rehabbers money out and into these over priced out of scale town homes?
I believe Camden Crossing jumped the gun and the history and
reinvestment vs. redevelopment in other Baltimore Neighborhoods agrees
with me.

The catalyst for Residential growth in Communities
Neighboring the Harbor was not Harbor Place or Charles Center as much as
it was the Great Freeway Revolt. No I'm not talking about the infamous
"road to nowhere" I'm talking about a the proposed route of I-95. It was
supposed to run right through Otterbein and displace what was then a
poor Neighborhood. Senator Barb built her career on the Great Freeway
Revolt and successfully had I-95 rerouted and the homes in Otterbein
saved unfortunately however the poor Residents had already been
displaced. This is when Mayor William Donald Schaefer introduced the $1
row house program. The $1 row house program was intended to make homes
affordable for owners to buy and take out what would have been a
mortgage loan and invest it into construction instead. This saved
Otterbein and many other Communities Neighboring the Harbor as well.

The Great Freeway Revolt was not just the placement
of I-95. There were also plans in place to have the JFX continue as a
highway past Fayette St. through Fells Point (pictured above) and Canton along Boston
St., cross the Harbor and meet I-95. The number of row homes that would
have been destroyed was staggering. As Residents and non Residents of
Fells Point and Canton revolted against this freeway with the help of
Senator Barb, outsiders couldn't help but gain an appreciation for the
old row homes of Fells Point and Canton.

Thus, as the Great Freeway Revolt claimed another
victory, people began buying and rehabbing vacant row homes in Fells
Point and Canton using the $1 row house program that originated in
Otterbein. As the supply of these old row homes dwindled so desire to
live there did not. Some would be Residents began seeking old row homes
north of the Harbor in Upper Fells Point, Butcher's Hill , Patterson
Park(pictured above), Greektown, and eventually Highlandtown. Others who still wanted a
Fells Point or Canton address moved into Glitzy new Apartments and Town
Homes built on vacant land. This has been the history of reinvestment
vs. redevelopment in Baltimore; rehab existing homes first then once
that supply has been exhausted, build new homes.

This brings me back to Pigtown. When Camden Crossing
was built had the Neighborhood been void of vacant homes? Nope! Now
don't get me wrong I don't dislike Camden Crossing I just think a lot of
these buyers would have invested in the existing Pigtown housing stock
had Camden Crossing not been built. I also look at Camden Crossing as a
self sustaining fortress. It's hard to get in and out of which gives me
the feeling that perhaps they're not very integrated into Pigotwn i.e.
patronizing businesses along Washington Boulevard where they're
desperately trying to make it a class A Main Street.

Camden Crossing has been a phased development. It
was not complete at the time of the housing crash and that has delayed
phases for years. Some phases have yet to be built. Luckily there have
been some new homes finally starting to go up in the final swathes of
land and they have been selling well. For what it is I would call Camden
Crossing a success. It would have been a greater success had it not
jumped the gun and been built after the existing housing stock was
gentrified.

So that's it right? No more new development in Pigtown
until existing housing stock is gentrified right? Wrong, there are plans
to build 99 condos and town homes on a vacant surface lot. This new
development (whose name is unknown) is slated to be workforce housing.
Although more quality workforce housing is needed in the City I believe
that can be found in existing housing stock throughout Pigotown. If the
City reinstated the $1 row house program home owners can pay off their
construction loan in lieu of a mortgage. Not only that, the City will
have a smaller stock of vacants on their hands which instead of costing
them money they will now make money because the homes are occupied and
its owners are paying taxes.

Was I ever against Camden Crossing? No I just
believe they jumped the gun. Am I against this new workforce housing
development? No I just believe that if it got started now we would be
jumping the gun yet again. Do I want Pigtown as a whole to grow and
become a destination Neighborhood? You bet! Do I think Pigtown can do
it? Absolutely!